Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-08
HENRY AND DOSELSoN.

HENRY AND DOSELSoN
Henry and Donelson were important Con
federate stations. Henry was captured Feb
q, 1862 A rising young brigadier general
named Ulysses s Grant. vas at the head of
the force that took it The victory called for
the first time the attention Of the country to
this officer. The victory at Fort Henry. too
was, strictly speaking, the beginning Of the
turning of the tide in favor of the north A
gloom like the fog of u winters dav had been
on the country till then. Men in the north
were signing for a heTo-a man who should
&c strong enough 10 take the head of affairs
and turn heart sickening failure into victory
The hero WIS developing, though they
knew it not. He who was TO lift the cloud
was the silent man that. even in the midst of
the victory of Fort Donelson, was ''too busy
10 write q word
A notable point is the shortness Of Grants
dispatches at all times. A few messages, of
not many lines, TO his superior officer tell the
story of both Henry and Donelson Gen
Hallack, then at st Louis. was in command
of the department of the Missouri Grant
dispatched Halleck, Feb 8, that Fort Henry
had fallen. He added these words:
Il shall take and destroy Fort Donelson on
the stl and return TO Fort Henry
But he had undertaken a larger contract
than even he could fill in the time he pro
posed. The freshets and overf1ows which al
ways work such mischief III the south and
west, prevented, for one thing The roads
leading to Donelson were sea of mud By
the backwater of creeks on each side of the
fort there was sea of water two miles in
land from the fort
The Cumberland runs north al the point
selected cor Fort Donelson. About mile
south Of tie fort, up the river. is the little
town of Dover This hamlet was the head
quarters of the Confederate general Gideon
}. Pillow, during the siege. 1t was in Dover
that the last Confederate council of war he
tween Gems, Floyd, Pillow, Buckner. Col n
B Forrest and others took place, previous to
the surrender OF the fort to Grant Below
Fort Donelson. on the north, Hickman's
creek crptied into the Cumberland II was
overfiowed for miles the water I'D to a
horses breast Grant could not attack the
fort from that side On the other hand,
however, in case the COnfeGlerates being bard
pressed, wished TO make a sally out from the
fort and escape by the Fort Henry road, as
liz fact they did wish to do this Overflowed
creek world prevent them. So. on the whole.
the backUater of Hickman's creek was an ad
vantage to both besieger and besieged Above
Fort DOnelson, and between that and Dover
was another stream of water. Indian creek.
also overlooked
Mud. There was never anything like it
1t was half leg deep, as specially mentioned
in Confederate official dispatches. Grants SOL
IN,
when they marched from Fort Henry to lie
sieA, Dover and DoneIson. 1t few from the
horses hoofs like rain and peppered man and
beast. when the cavalry splashed hither and
thither, III the vain fancy that they were
trotting 1t rolled from the gun carriage
wheels and fell i'll huge masses at every turn
tine artillery made.
1t must be remembered that it was Grant,
brigadier general, who had Urged the reduc-
ton of Forts Henry and DOnelsOn. The OBJ
iect to be gained by it was the clearing of the
Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. and the
occupation of Tennessee and its lines of rail
way Grant was at Cairo and repeatedly
urged Halleck to let him visit St Louis
Leave was at length given. Grant VISITED,
bis superior and began to unfold his plan for
the capture of the two forts But Halleck
silenced him at once and snubbed him
sharply.
Judge Force, in his book. says that Grant
returned to Cairo believing his commander
thought him guilty of proposing a military
h!under" And yet he persisted, Emporium
Jig again and again. Flag Officer Andrew
/. Footr. of the Mississippi squadron, urged
Inc same, and begged Halieck's permission to
- him and Grant move on Henry and Don
cison. 1t was at length given, and Feb 9
FoCte and Grant, infantry and cavalry forces
united, started up the Tennessee 10 Fort
Henry, with 1f,o0G men and sever gun
boats
Fort Henry fell on the 9Th. The Sunday
after Commander Foote took his place in the
Fuips Of the Presbyterian church at Cairo
ND preached an eloquent sermon on the text:
SLet not your hearts I've troubled. Ye believe
in God, believe also in me"
Then he came down from the pulpit and
made ready his boats for the expedition
against Donelson, which surrendered Feb. 16
Just one week from that Sunday morning
Engineers of the Confederate service agree
that the site of Fort Donelson was badly
chosen. II stood upon river bluff. The
situation was elevated, to be sure, but there
was ring Of hills around it, at from one tC
five miles distance. These hills were higher
than the bluff upon which the fort was, ant
convenient for the enemy to plant gun:
upon
-HC DEECNSES OF FORT DONElSON